Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

April 14, 2025 10:00 AM

Brutally assaulted by the feudal Lord and his grotesque court and abandoned by her betrothed Jean, the beautiful peasant Jeanne is offered immense power by a mysterious entity.

Both a difficult watch due to graphic scenes of sexualized violence and an mesmerizing visual experience, Belladonna of Sadness combines aesthetics of Klimt, Schiele and the like with minimal animation punctuated by bursts of modern Anime style and Peter Max-style Pop Art.
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posted by Alvy Ampersand (2 comments total)

There are two versions of this film. Both of the above links are to the shorter version that was a re-cut for a Japanese re-release in 1979. The longer version as released in a 4K Blu Ray version from Cinelicious Pics, trailer here [SLYT].
posted by Ignorantsavage at 2:58 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]

This one is on my short list of amazing movies that I'll never recommend anyone else watch. There's so much nuttiness in here, but the devil being a literal penis coupled with the tonally unexpected descent into tacky psychedelia at the halfway mark is a definite standout.
posted by phooky at 8:10 PM on April 14 [2 favorites]